By Jason Menard
The people of Toronto would be well-served by thinking of the yet-unidentified 13-year-old boy, shot in an alleged gang-related gun spree on Friday at the Eaton Centre, as a modern-day Daniel Desrochers.
After all, there are a lot of parallels between these two cases – and, hopefully, the impact they will both have on society at large will also be similar. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Warning: reading this column may turn you gay.
While I believe strongly in the power of the written word, my conviction is obviously not as strong as others. After all, there are those who are legitimately concerned the mere depiction of a gay character in a comic book has the power to overwhelm the heterosexual tendencies of a whole generation of readers.
It’s an epidemic, actually. The mere presence of openly gay characters in print and on film threatens to destroy the fabric of society! Why, we’re not even safe in our own living rooms as homosexuals have infiltrated the sanctity of our homes through their presence on TV! Continue reading
By Jason Menard
There are certain powder keg topics that are guaranteed to blow up no matter how small the spark is – and the only thing that gets destroyed in these explosions is our understanding of the word tolerance.
Issues surrounding real and perceived racism, misogyny, and homophobia are the unholy trinity of irrational response. And those who are quickest off the mark to point out intolerance are often guilty of the same behaviour they claim to abhor. Case in point: the response to boxer and politician Manny Pacquiao’s comment saying he opposed U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent expression of support for gay marriage. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
It was a night of tears in London, Ontario.
There were tears of joy, of course, as the London Knights claimed the Ontario Hockey League title and earned a berth in the Memorial Cup. But, more poignantly, there were tears of sorrow as just across Dundas Street a jury convicted a man of the murder of Victoria Stafford. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
The recent North Carolina constitutional amendment that effectively bans gay marriage and all forms of civil unions has stoked the fires of the human rights debate. And since this argument is so often rooted in a claim of one faith’s dominion, perhaps it’s time for supporters of all forms of marriage to fight back using those very same principles.
First things first. Let’s deal with the actual debate at hand. This isn’t about preserving the sanctity of marriage – it’s about preserving the sanctity of the Christian definition of marriage. No more, no less. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 